“A Night at the Morton: Soul Celebration” March 21

Athens Music Project, an interdisciplinary research initiative of the Hugh Hodgson School of Music, presents “A Night at the Morton: Soul Celebration” March 21 at 7 p.m. at the Morton Theatre:

The interactive performance event, supported by a Public Impact Grant from the Willson Center for Humanities and Arts, is the third installment of this biannual program organized and directed by UGA music professors Jean Ngoya Kidula and Susan Thomas. Sponsors include the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, the Hugh Hodgson School of Music, the Institute for African American Studies and the Morton Theatre.

The program is designed for music lovers of all ages and backgrounds. 

Embraced as a lifestyle, passion, musical genre and label, soul will be explored through interviews, performances and audience interaction.

“Soul as a way of testifying is at once religious and sacred, secular and profane, reverent and irreverent, social and political, personal and communal. It is celebration, observation, contemplation and even lamentation,” said Kidula, professor of music and ethnomusicology. “The testimony resounds locally, nationally and globally. As such, it transcends its African-American inception and American ­mainstream appropriation; it is spoken far and wide.”

The headliner for the event is rhythm and blues legend Theodis Ealey, so this should be a real treat. The event is free to the public, but tickets are required and may be picked up at the Morton Theatre during business hours, weekdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 3-6 p.m., and also may be reserved by emailing mortontheatre@accgov.com or calling 706-613-3771.

Image: musician Theodis Ealey